Boards training workshop August 2014

Are you a board member of a Wikimedia chapter or thematic organisation? Then this workshop is for you! We are drawing on expertise from within the Wikimedia movement and beyond to produce a one-day training session which will aim to give board members the skills and knowledge to do a great job. This session is planned for 7 August 2014, i.e. as a pre-meeting to Wikimania

This workshop will be based on the successful March training workshop, with largely the same material covered. It's intended for people who are (or will shortly be) board members of Chapters or Thematic Organisations.

Basic information

• Date: 7 August 2014 (i.e. just before the main Wikimania conference)
• Venue: 56–64 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LT.
• Cost: £50 registration (includes lunch)
• Registration: is open at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/board-training-workshop-august-2014-tickets-11581102389
• Scholarships: We are assuming that people who attend will already be travelling to attend Wikimania, and thus their travel/accommodation is already funded. There may be a small amount available to cover e.g. additional nights of hotel stay if this makes the difference between attending and not attending.

Overview

This workshop will give board members of chapters and thematic organisations the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to do a good job. It is particularly focused on the needs of organisations which are making the challenging transition between being an entirely volunteer executive and an organisation with staff and budget. It will draw on experience within the movement and best practice from outside the movement.

We also hope that this workshop will give people who attend confidence that they can (and should) do their job well, and also to have a network of peers from other chapters they can talk to about issues that come up. Further, we hope that people who attend will be able to spread what they have learned within their own Chapter.

Agenda

This is the provisional agenda. Because of peoples' schedules, this workshop will be 1 day rather than 2 days.

Thursday 7 August

8.45am: Arrivals and registration

9.15am: Welcome

9.30am: Icebreaking exercise

9.45am: Governance

• Session led by Mike Hudson – Compass Partnership

  This session will cover the principles and practice of governance. Compass Partnership are a leading UK governance consultancy who provide advice and training to a wide range of charities. They were commissioned to lead Wikimedia UK's governance review, and have a good knowledge of the Wikimedia movement from that. Key questions we will cover include:

  • "What is the role of a board, how does governance work, and how should a board think about its own performance?"
  • "How do the roles of Board members and staff differ, and how do you make professional relationships with your staff?"

1pm: Lunch (provided at venue).

2pm - 4.30pm Strategy, planning and evaluation

• This session will be led by Dariusz Jemielniak (FDC Chair and Professor of Management) and Jessie Wild (WMF Senior Manager, Learning and Evaluation). The aim of the session is to cover the role of the Board in defining strategy and measuring your organisation's work. Key questions include:

  • “How does your board make strategy, plan, and evaluate your organisation's work?”
  • “Best practices in strategic planning.”
  • “Understanding the relations between the organizational domain, strategic advantage, goals, functional programs, and mission.”
  • “Why are SMART goals useful?”

4.30pm Afternoon tea

5pm Expectations of being a Board member, and avoiding burnout

• Session facilitated by Sandra Rientjes (ED, WMNL) and Claudia Garád (ED, WMAT)

6pm Close - head to Wikimania Opening Ceremony

Attendees

• Information about the March 2014 workshop
• There will be 20 places for people who are board members of chapters / thematic orgs. There will be a maximum of two per chapter, on a first come first served basis. Places are strictly limited.
• Please note that all participants are asked to be at all the sessions of the workshop to get the most out of it.
• The sessions will all be conducted in English.